Paul Hill

Mid-March sees me starting to make regular visits to the east of Cheshire, heading towards the moors on the edge of Derbyshire and Staffordshire - the Eastern Hills. Here at the highest points in Cheshire the sheep grazed paddocks give way to the heather covered moors, but in recent years overgrazing has reduced the areas of heather. Never-the-less the areas around Three Shires Head, Danebower and the Cat and Fiddle still hold breeding species not present in lowland Cheshire

A fine forecast for 24 February, so I headed to North Wales and a waterfall that holds a pair of Dipper. Having spent around 20 minutes at the waterfall, I decided to head up the path to the top of the waterfall and see what I could find. Arriving at the top, following the footpath, I then walked along the riverbank and soon saw a Dipper carrying nest material. The Dipper flew to a rocky overhang and flew upwards. I settled down on the side of the river and was soon watch

The constant wet weather so far this year has curtailed many photographic opportunities; even days with no rain have generally been grey and overcast - not ideal conditions. Good friend and fellow photographer Roy Rimmer, though has come up with an excellent solution - Roy often thinks outside the box and offers a range of workshops throughout the year via Facebook. He has set up a feeding station under cover, but rather than the usual finches and tits, this one just attract

Julia and I visited the Raptor Hide operated by Somerset Wildlife Hides today. Although the weather was rather dull with occasional to frequent showers, we had a fantastic day photographing the resident pair of Kestrels. These birds breed close to the hide and take advantage of the food put out for them to supplement their diets. We arrived just before 8am and met Peter who showed us to the hide and the set-up, plus instructions on how to set the food (frozen mice and day-o

Julia and I have just returned from an amazing week of photography in Southern Spain, spending five days in hides operated by Andalucia BirdLand . Agustin (founder and CEO of Andalucia BirdLand) has established several hides around Adamuz concentrating on Avian and Mammalian Predators. Obviously, our target for the week was the Iberian Lynx, but rather than choosing one of dedicated Iberian Lynx photography sites, we wanted to photograph more than just Lynx, and Agustin was

During the recent cruise to the Azores and Madeira, we were able to take advantage of port days to explore the islands and see the endemic (and other) birds. Our first port of call was the island of Terceira, where, just a short distance from the port was an excellent wetland reserve which was full of waders. Of the 17 species we saw, five were American waders; White-rumped Sandpiper, Pectoral Sandpiper, Semi-palmated Sandpiper, Lesser Yellowlegs and American Golden Plover.

I have recently returned from another trip with Ocean Wildlife Encounters as a Guest Lecturer and sharing the wildlife seen whilst...

In June, July and August, I made three trips to Iceland, on board Fred.Olsen Cruise lines MS Balmoral and MS Bolette vessels, as a Guest...

Bempton Cliffs RSPB Reserve in East Yorkshire, is one of my favourite photographic destinations. The 400 foot high white chalk cliffs...

This year I have decided to set myself the target of trying to photograph all the species of Odonata (Dragonflies and Damselflies)...

I have just returned from almost five weeks as Guest Lecturer on Fred.Olsen Cruise Liner Bolette as part of the Ocean Wildlife Encounters...

High spring tides on the Wirral over the last couple of days of February and first few days of March provided some excellent...

I've recently spent a couple of mornings in Roy Rimmer's "Jay" Hide near Chorley. Meeting at Roy's house I then followed him to a...

Julia and I, along with good friends Paul and Claire Lloyd, have just returned from a two week safari in Botswana. Two weeks under...

Most years we try and get at least one trip to Anglesey for a long weekend, trying to time it so we can watch Risso's Dolphins off Point...

Shapwick Heath National Nature Reserve Julia and I have just completed a week in Somerset on the Avalon Marshes. This expanse of land,...

Burton Mere Wetlands are best known for their birds, naturally it’s an RSPB Reserve.  But it supports much more.  Graham, the Site...

Most years, Julia and I try and get a trip into Bempton Cliffs in East Yorkshire to take in the sight, sounds and smells of one of...

Day Five Today was a "free day" with no hides allocated. Julia and I decided to use one of the electric buggies to venture a bit further...

Day Three A rest from the hides this morning with a boat excursion to some of the inner lakes of the Danube Delta. With just eight of us...